'Hijacked': Fears grow Big Egg's free range definition could be made official

Eggs from farms with 10,000 birds per hectare - more than six times the number considered fair by consumer and animal welfare groups - could be labelled "free range" under proposed, legally binding standards.

Consumer affairs ministers will this week sign-off on one of four legal definitions, three of which hinge on hens having "meaningful access" to the outdoor range, with a maximum stocking density of 10,000 hens per hectare.

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The list of options leaked to Fairfax Media, show one option is the status quo, meaning nothing changes and consumer confusion would still abound.

Victor Dominello, the NSW minister leading the charge on developing a mandatory information standard, said he wants "the prominent disclosure of outdoor stocking density" on labelling, whether, 1500, 5000 or 10,000 birds per hectare.

Consumer affairs ministers are set to tick off on a mandatory information standard for free range egg labelling. Photo: Getty Images

"Genuine free range farmers think it's going to put their businesses in jeopardy," he said. "These guys have worked for a long time to build up a brand that has integrity. That's clearly been hijacked, because the big supermarkets and Big Egg wants a price premium they haven't earned."

Earlier this month, Coles and Woolworths egg supplier Sunny Queen Farms said it was committed to lowering free range stocking density to 1500 hens per hectare, based on in-house research on consumer expectations.

"I'm basically as happy as I think I could be and have gone as far as I think we're going to get on the issue. And in talking to egg producers they're pretty well on side with where we are now," Mr Joyce, also Deputy Prime Minister, had said.

Groups such as Choice and Humane Society International raised fears Mr Joyce, who has strong connections to industrial producers, exercised undue influence over the consultation process, leading to the list of legal definitions favouring larger farmers.

Old election campaign material for Mr Joyce has surfaced that show were authorised by Bede Burke, an industrial egg producer who is also chairman of NSW Farmers' Egg Committee.

Mr Burke told Fairfax Media that as the chairman of the NSW Nationals Party, and with Mr Joyce being his local federal member, he authorised the material during the last election.

He said there was an incredible growth in free range egg producers, something not seen with ordinary and barn raised production, and the industry wanted clarity and certainty.

"We don't hide the from the fact we've been out there influencing [ministers] hard or harder than Choice has. That's the only way we're going to get a good outcome," he said.

"This has been a battle royale for us, an ongoing battle. I've sat at the table with the Ministers and Choice, and Choice at times have no answer to the logic we put forward."

Kelly O'Dwyer, also Assistant Treasurer, said her aim was to balance consumers' need for clear and accurate information with any potential red-tape burden for producers and retailers.

"The Government has consulted widely, beginning consultations in October. The matter will be considered by federal, state and territory Consumer Affairs Ministers when we meet this week," she said.

Richard Langford, a South Australian free range egg farmer with 1500 hens per hectare, said he was disappointed by the final list of options.

He said he was concerned My Joyce was "looking after a few industrialised, low employing egg producers that are keen to cash in on millions of dollars consciously spent by consumers purchasing what they believe to be a genuine ethical product."

Mr Langford, who's run Fleurieu Free Range Eggs for 16 years, said the Treasury's consultation committee had asked for an alternative label name for 1500 hens per hectare, such as open range or low density free range.

"It appears that the industrial producers who claim to be Free Range have convinced Treasury and the ministers that they are to use the Free Range label," he said. "Consumers are about to permanently ripped off and Genuine Free Range egg producers manouevred out of the market."